Monthly Update | July 2020
Enter to Win a Free Book!
We’re giving away a copy of NAMLE Board Member Julie Smith's book, Master the Media , to three lucky members! The book aims to help teachers and parents educate their children about the history, purpose, and messages behind media and to think critically about the content they consume. To enter your name into the drawing, email us at namle@namle.net by Friday, July 17. Winners will be notified by Monday, July 20.
Media Literacy in the News
It’s time to change the way the media reports on protests. Here are some ideas.
This article from the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard looks at how national media outlets make editorial choices when they cover protests that often fail to frame those events accurately and steps reporters and newsrooms can take to stop those habits. [ read more ]
TikTok Is Shaping Politics. But How?
In this article from the New York Times , NAMLE Board Member Ioana Literat, a professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, and her colleague discuss the characteristics of political expression on the popular app TikTok and how it plays into youth civic attitudes. [ read more ]
COVID-19 Meets Election 2020: The Perfect Storm for Misinformation
The Seattle Times reports how the newly created Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington is studying how the mix of news about the coronavirus, racial justice, and the upcoming U.S. presidential election created a flood of misinformation and what solutions individuals and social media platforms can do to reduce their role in spreading it.
[ read more ]
Facebook Gave Tips to Spot Fake News. A Study Says They Work Surprisingly Well.
Consumer Reports writes how media literacy tips that Facebook promoted were found to help thousands of U.S. test subjects distinguish between truthful and false headlines. The results from the study suggest that simple instructions can help people be savvier news consumers. [ read more ]
M-Passioned: Meet Our Members
Jayne Cubbage
Associate Professor
Bowie State University

“Media literacy is important to me because it holds the keys for awakened and conscious media consumption. I am elated about the emancipatory potential media literacy holds for audiences, content producers and policy makers.” [ read more ]
Events & Opportunities
Register: Summer Learning Academy
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has created a Summer Learning Academy starting July 13, which is a three-week, 15-hour professional learning program to guide teachers in successfully teaching online. It includes microcourses, webinars, and access to a personal learning forum. The registration cost is $20. [ learn more ]
Webinar: Misinformation and the Importance of Media Literacy
July 16 @ 11 a.m. ET
The Family Online Safety Institute is holding a free webinar to explore how media literacy is currently taught in schools, what improvements are needed, what are the roles of parents, governments and nonprofits, and what approaches are being done internationally. Experts on this panel, including Tessa Jolls of the Center for Media Literacy and Matthew Johnson of MediaSmarts, will discuss the need to develop positive online habits, and how to teach digital citizenship and media literacy to the next generation. [ learn more ]
Webinar Series: Tools for Anti-Racist Teaching
July 21, 23, 28, & 30 @ Noon ET
In this free, four-part webinar series, PBS is inviting educators to explore tools for anti-racist teaching and to consider the ways in which we can use media and media literacy to deepen our understanding of systemic racism. PBS will provide a certificate of attendance for each one hour virtual professional learning event. [ learn more ]
CFP: Northeast Privacy Scholars Workshop
The Center for Law, Innovation, and Creativity (CLIC) at Northeastern University has announced the Call for Submissions for the Northeast Privacy Scholars Workshop, to be held November 13, 2020 via Zoom. The workshop offers privacy scholars from fields including law, social science, computer science, engineering, communications, and public policy the opportunity to receive constructive commentary on their projects and papers in progress. Submission deadline: September 13. [ learn more ]
CFP: Media Literacy in the European Union
The European Commission is now accepting proposals for tools and activities that are aimed at boosting media literacy in Europe through pursuing innovation and collaboration across media literacy communities within the EU. The tools and activities proposed should benefit people of all ages lacking media literacy skills and, in particular, the skills needed to critically evaluate content accessed via social media. Submission deadline: September 30. [ learn more ]
Resources
Race, Equity, and Social Justice Resources
NAMLE has curated a collection of news and resources focused on race, equity, and social justice designed to support educators, parents, and students as they navigate difficult conversations surrounding protests and police brutality. This list will continue to be updated and new submissions are encouraged. Please submit additional content to name@namle.net . [ learn more ]
Social Justice, Digital Citizenship, and Social-Emotional Learning Resources
Discovery Education has added new resources to its website that can help educators create engaging lessons on social justice, digital citizenship, social-emotional learning, and other K-12 topics while learning at home or in the classroom. Topics include understanding the roots of systemic racism and discrimination, learning about the power of protest, and investigating the importance of equity. [ learn more ]
Free Anti-Racist Films
Media Education Foundation is offering some of its films available to stream for free through the end of July. The films include topics about the history of systemic racism, white privilege, and racial scapegoating in U.S. politics and media culture. [ learn more ]
We Are the Media: Helping Young Information Creators Be Better Consumers
This article and infographic from Jennifer LaGarde and Darren Hudgins in School Library Journal offers critical questions that can help guide students as they consider what it means to produce content for an audience in a way that informs rather than influences. [ learn more ]
We live in an age of ‘fake news’. But Australian children are not learning enough about media literacy
In a writeup in The Conversation , Australian researchers discuss their new report titled “ News and Young Australians in 2020 ,” which found that despite widespread concern about the reach and impact of misinformation, many young people are not getting formal news literacy education at school. [ read more ]
Teaching about Intersections of Disability, Gender, and Sexuality through Media Literacy Education
The Journal of Literacy and Technology ’s Spring/Summer 2020 issue includes a paper from Elizaveta Friesem , co-editor of the Journal of Media Literacy Education (JMLE) and NAMLE Associate Director Donnell Probst.
[ read more ]
Report: Media Use and Literacy in Schools
This report from RAND Corporation examines public school social studies teachers' reports regarding how they and their schools promote media literacy and the appropriate use of media by students. It also summarizes teachers' perceptions of challenges associated with media literacy. [ read more ]
Reuters Digital News Report 2020
According to a new report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, about 56 percent of 80,000 digital news users surveyed across 40 countries remain concerned about what is real and fake on the internet when it comes to news. A dditionally, 40 percent of of those surveyed view social media as the biggest source of concern about misinformation, compared to 20 percent of respondents who cited news sites as the biggest concern . [ learn more ]
About Us


Executive Director
Michelle Ciulla Lipkin

Associate Director
Donnell Probst

Program Assistant
Kyle Plantz

Executive Board
Tony Streit, President 
David Kleeman, Vice President
Kimberly Moffitt, Secretary
Gonca Latif-Schmitt, Treasurer
Erin Reilly, Past President

Job Opportunities
Educational Technology Consultant
California Film Institute Education
San Rafael, CA

Curriculum Developer
California Film Institute Education
San Rafael, CA

Development Manager
Media Literacy Now
Boston, MA

Outreach Assistant
Pulitzer Center
Washington, D.C.
Follow us on social media:
National Association for Media Literacy Education